MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — A 26-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged after prosecutors say he shot and killed his father inside their home on North 50th Street last week.
According to a criminal complaint, Phillip J. Clark Jr. is charged with first-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and felony bail jumping.
If convicted on all counts, Clark could face a combined maximum sentence of nearly 75 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
Milwaukee police responded shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, July 31, to a report of a person with a weapon at a residence on North 50th Street.
The 911 caller told police she lived at the home with Clark and his father. She said Clark was behaving erratically when she returned from work and allegedly pointed a black handgun at her, cocked it several times and acted as though he was going to shoot her.
While an officer spoke with the caller, Clark reportedly walked out of the home with his hands raised. According to the complaint, he began yelling statements including, "What did I do?" and "Why did I do that?"
Police detained Clark and entered the home to search for possible victims.
An officer found a black handgun on the kitchen counter before discovering Clark's father unresponsive in a bedroom. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was pronounced dead after paramedics arrived.
An autopsy determined the bullet damaged multiple internal organs. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a homicide.
A homicide detective examining the firearm found a cartridge partially lodged in its ejection port, indicating the gun malfunctioned after it was fired. Investigators also recovered a spent 9 mm casing beneath the victim's bed.
According to the complaint, preliminary forensic testing indicated the casing had been fired from the handgun found in the kitchen.
An upstairs neighbor told detectives Clark entered his apartment shortly before police arrived, opened the shower curtain while the neighbor was bathing and asked, "Why y'all tell me to do that?" before laughing and walking away.
Another witness said Clark entered the upstairs unit multiple times that evening and walked into the bathroom before being told to leave.
During an interview with detectives, Clark allegedly admitted shooting his father but said he had difficulty remembering exactly what happened or how the gun fired.
Clark reportedly said there had been some type of confrontation while his father stood in the doorway of his bedroom. He told detectives he fired the gun and that it jammed after the shot.